Electric relay



M. GARL.

ELECTRIC RELAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, m1.

Patented May 24. 1921.

UNITED STATESFPATENT orrlcs. i

. MANIO'US GARL, OF-AKRO1 T, OHIO.

.nnncrnrc RELAY.

Application filed May 2 T 0 all loll-07M it may concern.

Be it known that 1,, MANIoUs GARL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful improvements in Electric Relays, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in relays and analogous circuit controlling devices adapted for use in connection with fire alarms, telephones, or other electrical systems, and the primary objects of the invention are to provide an improved switch wherein the contacts are effectually protected from corrosion, thereby insuring certainty in its operation; the magnetism fluence of the armature will not interfere with the correct operation of the switch, although the relatively movable switch member and cooperative terminals may be. composed of magnetic material, and a simple and efficient indicator is provided to show visually and directly the operative condition of the relay.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, andcombina-tions and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of arelay. constructed in accordance with the present inventiom Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section through the relay.

Fig. 3 represents a vertical section through the relay taken in a plane at a right angle to the plane of the section in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4c isa top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig 5 represents a horizontal section on the line 55 of Fig. 2 looking downwardly.

Fig. 6 represents a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. b 7

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

Relays or circuit controllers embodying the present invention are applicable, generally, to electrical systems of various kinds wherein it is desirable or necessary to control the opening and closing of one or more circuits. The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter described in detail, but it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24,

lair. Serial No. 170,696.

construction shown, as equivalent constructions are contemplated and will be included within the'claims.

The relay as shown in the present instance comprises a tubular sleeve 1- of brass r other non-magnetic material having a coil 2 wound thereon, insulating heads 3 and l fixed to the ends of the sleeve 1, and a shell 5, preferably. of hard rubber, fiber, or other suitable insulating material, fits over the heads 3 and 4 and incloses the coil. The part of the shell inclosing the coil and its heads is preferably cylindrical, but'the l wer portion of the shell is preferably widened, as at G, to accommodate the switch which will be hereinafter described. The cues of the coil are connected to binding posts 7 and 8 which may be extended through the shell and secured in one of the heads, they being secured in the head.

4- in the present instance, and a switch support or base 9 0f hard rubber fiber, or

other suitable insulatingmaterial is removably fitted into the lower end of the shell. An iron'or magnetic core 10 is fixed in the upper portion of the sleeve 1, this stationary core havin a. bore 11 extending vertically theretlirough, and a rod 12 is movable vertically in the bore 11 of the core and it carries an indicator or target 13 on its upper end. The upper end of the rod 12 is preferably bent laterally, as at 1 1, and a plate '15 is fixed to the upper side of a disk lfiof insulating material which surmounts the upper head 3. The plate 15 has a verticalslot 17 therein through which the laterally bent portion 14 of the rod 12 extends and works freely, the plate 15 thereby serving toguide the indicator or target and to prevent rotation thereof about the rod 12 as a center. i'in armature 18 is fitted to move freely and vertically in the lower. end

of the sleeve 1, and the lower end of the rod 12 rests on the upper end of the armature, The switch, as shown in the present instance, comprises a switch member 19 which is pivoted at 20 to a support 21 fixed on the switch base 9, this pivot 20 being olfset to one side of the armature 1S, and the lower end of the armature is arranged to rest on theupper side of the switch memher atone side of its pivot, the switch member at the opposite side of its pivot being provided with a counterweight 22 for a purpose that will be hereinafter described. The switch member is provided with contacts or" a number depending upon the number of circuit connections to be controlled thereby. In the present instance, the switch member has a pair of contacts 23 and 2d at one end thereof and another pair of contacts 25 and 26 at the opposite end thereof, and the switch base is formed with a pair of wells 27 and 28 to receive the contacts 23 and '24 and another pair of wells 29 and 30 to receive the contacts 25 and 26. These wells contain bodies of mercury and the circuits therethrough are made or broken by the dipping of the respective pairs of switch contacts therein, or the rising of such contacts out of the mercury bodies. in using mercury bodies to cooperate with the switch contacts, it is necessary to make the switch member of a material which will not be dissolved or otherwise affected by the mercury. Iron or steel is preferably used as amaterial for the switch member. For the same reason the terminals whichcomplete the circuits with the mercury bodies are preferably and advantageously made of iron or steel. Owing, iowever, to the magnetizing influence of the armature 18 upon the magnetic switch member, it is necessary to provide an arrangement whereby such magnetizing infiu-' ence will not interfere with the intended operation of the switch member. For example, it the magnetic terminals tor the mercury bodies were so placed that they would be in contact or in close proximity with the contacts of the switch member, the magnetic attraction between the magnetic switch member and the magnetic terminals would tend to hold such parts in engagement or proximity when, according to the intended operation, such parts should disengage. This dithculty is avoided by the present invention. As shown, the terminals 31 and 32 for the mercury bodies in the wells 27 and 28 and which extend upwardly from the bottom of the switch base 9 are offset relatively to the wells 27. and 28 so that these terminals will be out of line with the contacts 23 and 2% of the switch member, and the terminals 33 and 3% for the bodies of mercury contained in the wells 29 and 30 are similarly oliset relatively to the wells 29 and 30 and, hence, will be out of line with the cont-acts 25 and 26 of the switch member. Conduction of electric current between the terminals 31 and 32 and the bodies of mercury in the wells 27 and 28 is effected by providing mercury wells 35 and 36 above the terminals '31 and 32 and connecting these mercury wells with the mercury wells 27 and 28 by transverse passages 37 and 38. In the same way, mercury wells 39 and d0 are formed above the terminals 33 and 34 and transverse passages a1 and 412 connect these mercury wells with the mercury wells 29 and 30. This arrangement enables the switch member and the terminals to be composed 01" iron or steel which will not be attacked by the mercury, and yet magnetizing of the switch member from the armature of the relay will not interfere with the proper operation of the switch.

Where, as in the present instance, the invention is applied to a relay, the line terminals will be connected to the binding posts '7 and 8 which in turn are connected to the relay'coil. A normally closed local circuit ll may have its terminals connected to the terminals 33 and 34 of the switch and a normally open local circuit 42 may have its terminals connected to the terminals 31 and 32 of the switch. lVhere it is desirable to employ an additional local closed circuit t3, the disk 16 at the top of the relay may be provided with a pair of mercury wells 4% and i5 and a switch member 46 may be attached to the indicator or target 13, the ends or this switch member being bent downwardly so that when the indicator is in its lower position, these ends of the switch member will. be immersed in the bodies of mercury contained in the wells 4L4: and a5, and when the indicator is in its elevated position, the downturned ends or contacts of the switch member 16 will be raised out of the mercury wells. The mercury wells have the circuit completed therewith through binding posts or terminals 47 and 48. In order to minimize arcing and consequent vaporization of the mercury, especially when relatively heavy currents are to be controlled, the local circuits may have condensers connected therein. For instance, the local circuit 41* has a condenser 49 connected .in circuit therewith and the local circuit 43 has a condenser 50 connected in circuit therewith.

The mode or operation of the relay may be described, briefly, as follows :Assuming that the relay is to be used in a normally open system, the parts will ordinarily occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2, the coil of the relay being normally dee'nergized and, hence, the armature 18 will be in its lower position, itwill bear upon the switch member 19 with sufficient force to overcome the counterweight 22 thereon and, hence the contacts 25 and 26 of the switch member will be submerged in the mercury in the mercury wells 29 and 30 while the contacts 23 and 2d of the switch member will be raised out of the mercury bodies in the mercury wells 27 and 28. The local circuit 41:1 will, therefore, be normally closed while the local circuit 42* will be normally open. Also, when the armature 18 is in its normal lower position,the indicator or tarand, hence, the local circuit 43 will be normally closed. -l/Vhen the coil is energized by current in the main line, the armature 18 is drawn upwardly by the solenoid action of the coil, removing the weightof this armature from the switch member 19 and allowing the counterweight 22 to rock or tilt the switch member into a reverse position, as indicated in Fig. 1. The local circuit 41 will then be broken by the lifting of the switch contacts 25 and 26 from the bodies of mercury in the mercury wells 29 and 30, while the local circuit 12 the dipping of the switch contacts 23 and 24 into the bodies of mercury contained in the mercury wells 27 and 28. Also, the upward movement of the armature 18 causes simultaneous upward movement of the indicator or target 13, due to the upward pressure of the armature on the rod 12 and, in consequence, the switch member d6 carried by the indicator or target is lifted out of'the bodies of mercury contained in the mercury wells 4% and 45. Upon dee'nergization of the coil, the armature 18 and the indicator or target 13 will descend by gravity, and the armature will exert a force on the switch memer 19 suflicient to overcome the effect of the counterweight 22 and the switch member is thereby returned to the position shown in Fig. 2, again closing the local circuit 11 and the local circuit 43 and opening the 10- cal circuit 12.

The indicator or target will show, according to its position, whether the relay is energized or deenergized, it occupying its upper position when the relay is energized and its lower position when de'energized. It will be understood that the relay will occupy a vertical or upright position and it may be secured in such position by attaching it to the face ofa switchboard or other suitable support. By employing mercury baths to cooperate with the contacts of the switch member, good contact is always insured, although the relay may be subjected to gases or other corroding influences.

I claim as my invention l. A relay comprising an electromagnet,

a movable armature cooperative therewith, a switch member pivoted on a horizontal axis below the electromagnet and having switch contacts at opposite sides of its pivot, the switch member having a counterweight at one side of its pivot and the armature resting by gravity on the switch member at the opposite side of its pivot, and mercury contact wells arranged to cooperate with the contacts at the respective sides of the pivot of the switch member.

2. A relay comprising an electromagnet, a vertically movable armature cooperative therewith, a switch casing attached to and located below the electromagnet, a switch member pivoted intermediately of its ends will be closed by.

Y axis within the switch casing, the switch member having at each side of its axis a pair of laterallyspaced depending contacts, the switch member also having a counterweight at one side of its pivot and the'armature resting on the switch member at the-other side of its pivot, and mercury contact wells located below the switch member, a pair of such wells cooperating with the respective pair of contacts at each side of the pivot of the switch and on a horizontal member.

a vertically movable armature, cooperative therewith, a casing inclosing the electromagnet and having a widened portion be yond the lower end of the electromagnet, a switch base of insulating material removably fitted into the lower widened end of the casing and having a recess in its upper surface, a switch member pivotally mounted in said recess of the switch base and cooperative with the vertically movable armature of the electromagnet, the switch member also'having downwardly projecting contacts, and mercury wells sunk in the bottom wall of the recess of the switch base and cooperative with the contacts on the switch member.

5. In a relay having an armature movable in consequence of the energizing and deenergizing of the relay winding, a vertically reciprocable indicator actuated by said armature, said indicator having downwardly directed and projecting contacts, and a pair of mercury wells located inthe line of movement of said contacts and into which said contacts are adapted to dip.

6. In a relay having an armature movable in accordance with the energizing and deenergizing of the relay winding, a vertically movable indicator controlled by the armature, a pair of downwardly projecting contacts carried by the indicator, and an insulating member fixed to the body of the relay and having mercury containing wells into which said contacts are arranged to dip when the indicator is in a predetermined position.

7. The combination of a movable switch member carrying a downwardly projecting containing chamber offset laterally from said mercury well and having a mercury containing passage connecting it with said well, and a terminal piece extending through the bottom wall of said mercury chamber and exposed to the mercury contained in said offset mercury containing well.

8. A relay comprising an elcctromagnet, a vertically reciprocatory armature cooperative therewith, intermediately of its length and having switch contacts at opposite sides of its pivot, the armature normally resting by 'gravity on said switch member at one side of its pivot and the position of the switch member being controlled by said armature as determined by the energizing anddeenergizing of the electromagnet, and mercury containing wells arranged to cooperate with the contacts at the respective sides of the pivot of the switch member whereby contact is made by the switch member at one side of its pivotand broken at the opposite side of its pivot when the switch arm is rocked into one position bythe gravity dea switch member pivoted scent of the armature and vice versa when the switch member is rocked into another position incident to the asce t of the armature.

'9. A relay comprising an electromagnet, a movable armature cooperative therewith, a reversible switch member controlled by the armature'and on which said armature rests by gravity when said electromagnet is deenergized, electrical contacts to cooperate alternately with the switch member whereby each movement of the switch member makes one contact and breaks another, a vertically movable indicator resting by gravity on said armature and movable in response to the movement of the armature and electrical contacts carried by said indicator whereby a circuit is opened or closed accordingto the movement of said indicator.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' MANIOUS GARL.

lVitnesses Nn'r'rm GRIFFITHS, J. S. BACHTEL. 

